Ear tag



March 29,1932. A. H. BERNTsoN ET Al. 1,851,000

EAR TAG Filed Oct. 9. 1929 Patented Mar. 29, 1932 1 UNITED STATES PATENT"HFFIYCE Q ARTHUR'H. BERNTSON VAitnoiirrroim' J. ZIMMERMAN, ortsALT LAKE ein', UTAH:

*Een The;

tentation filed `Votttbet .9, l1,9279. serial it. 398,302.'

V This linvention relates to an ear tag' and particularly an ear tag -used for identifying animals, such as ordinary` livestock. ,The

principal objects of the invention are:

5 First. To provide a tag Which shall be simple and easily applied, Y l ,y

Second. A tag Whose fasteningV members shall be particularly strong and durable; Q

Third. A tag in Whichfprotrudingparts 1Y0 shall, as far as possible, be eliminated. f

Ear tags areusually made of. strips'of metal, such as aluminum, bent'partly around.

the ears, and provided With pointed tongues at one end for piercing the ears, the tonguesY being finally clinched after passing through an opening in the other end ofl the bent strips. l

Certain features of the present invention are similar to features representedin the ear tag forming the subject vof U. S. Patent 1,510,083, granted Sept. 30, 1924, tty/A.l H. Berntson, While certain other features constitute a decided improvement over the said earlier tag. Y Y A distinguishing feature of the present invention is that the point or tongue having` a buttressed rib, is bent outwardlyin relation to the body of the tag, instead of in- Wardly, in the process of fastening the tag.

Due to this construction, We are enabl'edtoV extend the reinforcing rib Vvery Vclose to the tip ofthe tongue, so that the rib: is useful not only during the operation of clinchingl the tag, but afterwards serves to greatly strengthen the bend of the clinched tongue.

' Also due to the vfact that the tongue is bent outwardly instead ofjinwardly, itsmanipu- Vlation in clinching takes place'in a more ae- VVcessible and convenient place,'mak1ng posfastening than heretofore.

The features of thisinventionfor.

`stantially as shown in Fig. 1. This strip is Vsible the formationofa much more perfect Y y bendinggtlie' tongueaway'fromtherib,l developed or unbent form, viewing'thesuri face-Which lbecomes the'outside of the finished-tag; f

'--Fig. 2, a side elevation of the ltag' ready Fig'. 3, a side elevation, partly insection'n and drawn to an enlarged scale,in its final form When clasped in the ear ofan animal;

preliminary stage Aconsists of a body` strip i 10 having ,its tWo extremities formed sub# initially bent intorsubstantially the shape shown in` Fig. 2, ready' for ,insertion in the pliers yor tongs, by; the use of which the tag isfattached toan ear;A A j In vthe initial shape, Fig. 2, aswell asin Lthe finished shape, Figl `3, a base; porti0n-12 projects from the portion VlO-l of the body,

the tWo being substantially at right angles to 'each other: TheV base forms'a support for thetongue and is reinforced bythe rib 114,'buttressedat'1ft-,1 against the body por- InV applying the-tag tothe ear of thel Yanii mal, by means of the pliers `(not shown), the

tongue 15is forcedthrough the substance of the ear, and then passed through the open` ing-16 in the portion y"10Q-2,- this openingbeingflocatedatthe end ofthe body.A the tip of 'thetongue emerges from opening V16, l

vit istutned Outwttfdiy, that tato the left of 8i the face plane indicated bythe line L -a, inliigs.v 2y and 3, the base( being Aconsidered as positioned on the" inside of .the plane af-V-a; The tongue maybe finally bent'around f the'bar 17, 'coiningto'rest inf the .recess` 18 905 l' y Whlchis defined between the'guard's'lt), and i forming substantiallyv aclinc'h curled Varournjl the protection of LettersgPatent of the .the bar' .i

I' United States is desired, `'are lcollectively 'grouped in theclaims lconcludinrg'this speci- Y It jwill be noticed ttttittuny,V that theV f I 14%2 oftheprib, constitutes a lrein- 'forcementfclear over'andlaroundlthe bend` 20 of`the't0ngue"15,.as indicated inV 3,"

thus''strengthening the tongue greatly.

the latter in the `proc'ess of forming, is

stretched, resulting, as is well known in engineering practice, in a better disposition of the metal, than would be the case should the tongue be bent inwardly or towards the rib, which latter process would result in a compression or crumpling of the rib.

In the iinally clinched position, the contour 2l across the clinched end of the tag, follows a smooth curve as shown in Fig. 4, so that the guards 19 which are integral with bar `17 on both sides of the tongue, together with the bend 20, form substantially only a single protrusion from the finish-ed body, thus reducing the likelihood of disengaging the tag from such clinched position.

Thile a specific embodiment cf our invention is herein shown and described,.it is to be understood that various changes could be made therein, without departing' from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. l

Having fully described our invention, what we claim is:

l. An ear tag comprising in combination,

ya body, a base portion extending from said body at one end thereof and positioned substantially on the inside of a faceplane means, including a bar, defining an opening at the opposite-end of said body, a tongue project# ing from said base portion through said opening, the said tongue having a clinch positioned on the outside of the face plane and guards on both sides of said tongue, thel contour .of the clinched tongue and guards forming a smooth curve.

2. An ear tag comprising in combination, a body, a base portionvextending from said body at one end thereof and positioned substantially on the inside of a face plane, means dening an opening at the opposite end of said body, a clinch on said base portion, said curled clinch being positioned between said guards, and a rib extending on the outside of, and substantially around, said curled clinch.

6. An ear tag, including in combination, a body portion having a base at one end thereof, a bar at the other end of said body portion, said bar located outside the outer face plane of said base, a curled clinch integral with said base, said curled clinch extending around said bar, and a buttressed rib extending from the inside of said base to and around said curled clinch.

hereto.

ARTHUR H. BERNTSONp CLIFFORD J. ZIMMERMAN.

clinch positioned, just beyond saidiopening j' and on the` outside of said face plane, and a buttressed rib projecting from said base, said rib extending on the outside of, and substantially around, said clinch.

8. An ear tag, including in combination, a body portion having an opening therein, a base below saidopening, a bent clinch projecting from said base through said opening,

and a rib around the outside of the bend of said clinch. j

4. An ear tag, including in combination, a body portion having a bar at one end thereof, a base adjacent said barand positioned to the vinside of said bar, a curled clinch projecting from said base around said bar, and a rib extending on the outside of, and substantially around, said curled clinch. Y Y

5. An ear tag, including in combination, a body portion having an opening therein, a bar adjacent` said opening, guards spaced apart from Veach other adjacent said bar, a base below said opening, a curled clinch proljecting from said base around said bar, said j 

